What Is the Purpose of English Grammar? Quote of the Day #10

“English is a glorious invention, one that gives us endless possibilities for expressing ourselves. Grammar is there to help, to clear up ambiguities and prevent misunderstandings. Any ‘rule’ of grammar that gets in the way or doesn’t make sense or creates problems instead of solving them probably isn’t a rule at all.”

Patricia T. O’Conner in Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English: Second Edition (Riverhead, 2003). A review of this excellent grammar book appeared on this site on Dec. 10 is archived with the December 2006 posts in the “How to” category on One-Minute Book Reviews. Visit www.grammarphobia.com to learn more about O’Conner’s books.